By Anthony Anderson “If you wanted a fight in the early hours of a Sunday morning, the public bar of the Bondi was a good place to find one. Bondi Road had a couple of restaurants back in the ‘70s but the shear variety along that stretch today defies comparison.” Bronte, Tamarama and Bondi. This three‑kilometre strip of sand, rock shelves, cliffs and pools, stretching from Bronte Baths to the North Bondi Grassy Knoll, is stupendous. But today, the streets,

Advanced Souvlaki began as a humble dream and has grown over the past 30 years into one of Sydney’s most trusted names for authentic Greek souvlaki. At the heart of the business are Con and Eleni, who lovingly oversee their Canterbury headquarters and shop, along with a vibrant retail store in Kogarah. Each day, their team handcrafts fresh backstrap lamb, chicken, beef, and pork souvlaki with care, pride, and tradition. “Our souvlaki isn’t just good – it’s made with integrity,”

“You want to be surrounded by good people that enjoy coming to work and enjoy the vibe. As much as you put in is as much as you get out of anything.” Being a life-long Sydney Roosters fan, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to sit down and talk to the current Roosters captain at his Randwick café, High St Society. The café, which opened its doors in January 2017, is owned by Jake Friend and two business

“I love a steak! And it’s my love of steak that attracted me to breeding Angus cattle. I chose Angus cattle because of their marbling qualities.” Though he enjoys a good coffee, Theo Onisforou’s focus is on obtaining, maintaining and consuming Australia’s best quality beef. Theo’s parents emigrated from the island of Cyprus in the 1950s from the small village of St Theodore, hence his name. Settling in Paddington, their only opportunity to revisit their rural heritage was by attending

Frank’s Pitstop Motors Starting out in 1987, Frank Failla has built a successful automotive business that runs on passion as much as fuel. “You have to be very passionate to be in this industry, and you never stop learning. The guy who tells you he knows everything about cars is a bullshit artist; you learn every day. The day you stop learning is the day you die – and that’s in life, notjust cars.” “My business partner, Tony, and I

Tony Sergi knew from a young age that he wanted to be a singer. It was 2003, he was six years old and Australian Idol had just made its television debut. “When I started, I just jumped up on stage and that was it. I haven’t stopped since.” Although Tony describes his original music as soul-pop, his early inspirations were rock. “For me, growing up it was your Bryan Adams, your Bon Jovi. Then at 12, 13, 14 you shift

PQ: “Not that I am excluded from guilty pleasures, but they don’t fall in the food or alcohol variety: a good book, an early 1970s film and great conversation, that’s what does it for me.” Brazilian novelist Paulo Coehlo once wrote: “You are not defeated when you lose, you are defeated when you quit.” It’s a simple yet no less profound notion for living one’s life, more so perhaps if you happen to be an athlete: in sport, winning is

Although of country stock, Hugh McPherson is a Sydney boy born and bred. “My mum’s from Orange and my dad’s from Wagga Wagga, and while I did spend a great deal of my childhood in the country, I grew up in the Flemington-Ryde area. I moved to Kings Cross on my own when I was 16, and I think that’s where I did a lot of my learning. When I was 18 I managed a couple of bars, a couple

“I am a coffee aficionado but not a snob; I love good, strong, robust coffee and the company of people who enjoy it too. I do use, need and worship my coffee. But no sugar. It takes away from the real taste and I think it’s rude to the person who grew the coffee. And I’m happy to say that I eat everything; I have no dietary restrictions or complications. I like fresh food and I love really spicy.” www.christopherzinncelebrant.com

Author: Howard Rich “I guess I’m a bit of a perfectionist in that way but I always respect the people I work with and, in turn, they seem to respect me.”‘Passion’ and ‘Heart’ are the two most endearing characteristics which encapsulate the life of popular Sydney icon Mike Whitney, host of one of Australia’s longest running television shows – Channel 7’s Sydney Weekender – dynamic former fast bowler for NSW and Australia cricket teams, and lead singer with his own

Author: Kristina Foster “Playing Trimbole required a lot of preparation and research in order to bring the character to life. I had read a lot of books and watched a lot of footage from As I wait in the art deco French neighbourhood café in Coogee to interview Roy Billing, a stylish white panama hat is thrown nonchalantly onto the table. I look up and see a familiar face: we have all grown up seeing Billing’s crinkly, welcoming smile across

Author: D.R. Lennox “The city is ready. This will benefit Rio for years to come. Many generations will talk about this. It will become part of the history, not only for Rio but Brazil.”Carlos de Abreu is the Consul General of Brazil, and currently calls Sydney home. But in 2009, Mr. de Abreu was posted in Washington (as Brazil’s Deputy Chief of Mission) when it was announced that his hometown of Rio would host the 2016 summer Olympics. And he

Cafe Reporter issue 1, June 2015, J Howard Rich “I had to hustle friends and family to help raise the finance to produce the film, which starred two young actors in their first year of drama school – Mel Gibson and John Jarrett.” The successful 40-year career of writer, actor, director and producer Phil Avalon is classed as a leading light in the domestic and international film community. His book, From Steel City to Hollywood (New Holland), is a lively